USS Mason DDG-87

This expertly minted challenge coin honors the intrepid sailors of the guided-missile destroyer, USS Mason (DDG-87), who wake each day to defend America and her allies. Celebrate the crew and ship with this sturdy coin in your pocket.

Since her commission in 2003, the DDG-87 and her crew have fervently patrolled the seas on their crusade for freedom. The USS Mason arms her crew to annihilate threats with lethal weaponry such as: 32 and 64-cell vertical launch systems, Tomahawk and RUM missiles, triple torpedo tubes, and Phalanx close-in weapons systems. This power was brought to bear on opposing forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Her predecessor, the USS Mason (DDG-529), made history as the only Navy destroyer of WWII manned by a predominately-black crew. For the first time, the U.S. Navy trained African-American sailors beyond the rank of steward or cook. DDG-87 carries on the name as a tribute and reminder of how all can serve proudly.

Minted in antique bronze and highlighted by bold enamel, this challenge coin honors the crew of the USS Mason (DDG-87). The obverse features the ship slicing through an enameled sea as one of her helicopters lifts off for an important mission. The reverse features the ship’s seal and motto, “Proudly We Serve.”

™ Department of the Navy. Officially Licensed by the Department of the Navy.